Almost $1 million in COD2 maps sold

Activision CEO Robert Kotick says there were more than 500,000 Call of Duty 2 downloads in Q2 alone.

Publishers have taken to Xbox 360 microtransactions--extra downloadable content for released games--very carefully. Gamers have cried foul many times over the prices of extra multiplayer maps, new cars, and horse armor ever since premium content began showing up on Xbox Live Marketplace.

But amidst the bickering and complaining, it appears as though one company got it right. During its quarterly earnings report, Activision revealed that it has sold about $1 million in Call of Duty 2 maps alone. Call of Duty 2 has consistently been the top-played Xbox 360 game over Xbox Live, and it appears as though gamers are willing to pay up for extra content.

In a question-and-answer session following the company's earnings call, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick broke down the number of downloads and money made by each downloadable map pack. The free bonus pack, which included two maps, tallied 334,000 downloads. The $5 Skirmish Map Pack was downloaded 105,000 times and generated $368,000, and the $10 Invasion Map Pack invaded 66,000 360s and raked in almost half a million dollars.

With numbers like those, it's obvious Activision will continue to pursue the potential of downloadable content for its current and future projects.

"During the quarter our Call of Duty maps generated approximately $1 million in revenue, a critical first step in exploiting the online revenue potential and extending the shelf life of our games," said Kotick. "This holiday we'll look to further capitalize on the success of the franchise and its online capabilities."

95 Comments

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Sep 12, 2006 6:02 pm PT

    yah

  • BoltonTech

    Posted Aug 21, 2006 10:09 am PT

    I own all of the new maps. The main reason I purchased was because of how many of my friends purchased them. CoD2 will drop you right out of multiplayer if the host selects a map you don't have. Don't get me wrong, having so many maps to play on now is awesome. Do I feel ripped off? No way. I think that Activision has provided a nice group of add ons that don't cost a fortune. The_SandRock if you enjoy playing CoD2 online then the maps are a must. They mix things up and keep the game fresh.

    That's my take.

    GhostRiderTGAC
    (check me out weekly on the podcast at Unscripted360.com)

  • shirandominion

    Posted Aug 18, 2006 11:46 am PT

    wow, i really don't understand how some people are so completely off base about this...this isn't something to be angry about. what they're offering on marketplace is expanded content, content beyond which was offered in the original game, and pc gamers have been paying for content like that for years in the form of expansion packs. the difference is that with marketplace additions to the game can come more often and in smaller forms so you can pick and choose what you want. i fial to see how thats bad for the comsumer, unless that leads to half assed games, and so far it hasn't. i just provides a more efficient avenue for expansion, and thats a good thing.

  • Keith4RFC17

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 5:35 am PT

    Im glad to see you'd pay an extra 10 quid for replay values theksMM but im annoyied about the fact pc gamers get the downloads for free and we xbox gamers dont its just a big rip off and im suprised to see activision publising how many they sold this whole thing just annoys me.

  • sesh_man

    Posted Aug 7, 2006 1:02 am PT

    You guys need to calm down if u bought a game and u love it then fork out the extra bucks to have even more fun else if u dont like the game return fool. Or if u dont like paying extra money for a game that you already bought i understand that but whos missing out by you complaing not actavision you are so just fork out those few dollars its worth it.

  • guppieface

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 2:55 pm PT

    i dont like paying sixty dollars for a product,then having to put in extra money afterwards as well. there were not all that many maps in the original game, and if microsoft is charging for more maps, they should be 50 points each, not 150 or more. if there are nerds who don't mind paying a total of seventy-eighty dollars a game with "updates", im not one of them, sixty was too much to begin with

  • theKSMM

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 1:59 pm PT

    I don't understand the hatred here. It's not like one person spent $1 million on a map pack. It cost a measly five/ten dollars. If that adds 10 hours of replay value to somebody's favorite game of the season, then it's probably quite worth it.

    Many other people have expressed this sentiment, and I'll repeat it here: If microtransactions bother you for some reason, don't use them!

    And I'll also add this point: You can hate Microsoft or Activision all you want over this news, but if you think Sony, Nintendo, and every AAA game publisher out there aren't going to duplicate this model, you're nuts. When somebody makes $1M off something apparently trivial, the copycats are bound to follow.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 1:31 pm PT

    Wow, I didn't know this

  • yourbeliefs

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 12:18 pm PT

    *hugs Alienware computer*

  • Dmitheon

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 6:42 am PT

    You paid for the game , you got it. You even got one map pack for free. What in the green hell are you complaining about? They offered more maps that cost money. You didn't have to buy it. Those who wanted to had the option to do so.

    Also, the concerns about companies releasing half finished games is a waste of time. Say a company releases a half finished game. Once the game is reviewed and word gets out that it's buggy or half finished, who's going to buy it?

  • Keith4RFC17

    Posted Aug 5, 2006 2:06 am PT

    I dont see why we should have to pay for the extra little downloads we pay 40 quid for the xbox gold for a year then we need to pay for the telephone connection so we can get online in the long run it'd be better if you got a pc if you like these little extra downloads, because as a xbox gamer im getting sick and tired with all these prices to everything for god sake microsoft treat us once in awhile use cheap skate b*****ds and whats with the prices on the gamer-pictures come on how sad do you think people get buying that s**t and also im starting to hate Bill Gates hes rich enough to get plastic surgery to get rid of his ugly face which resembles my ass.

  • hemakm3

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 4:19 pm PT

    Wow, thats a lot.

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:32 pm PT

    Lemmings are happy to pay for things hermits get for free...
    Pretty soon, MS will be giving away 360s for free and charging people 10$ per month to play with it.

    lol so true I love being a hermit....also who says console gaming is more expensive now hmm?

  • lordxymor

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 11:27 am PT

    Lemmings are happy to pay for things hermits get for free...
    Pretty soon, MS will be giving away 360s for free and charging people 10$ per month to play with it.

  • dhjohns

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 11:05 am PT

    Nice to know my small purchases have helped!

  • arczero01

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:51 am PT

    the only thing i'm gonna download off of that is the free bonus map thing from the game of the year edition that i got.
    but that'll have to wait til i can get xbox live all hooked up and stuff

  • kidkit

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:45 am PT

    Who uses the word "exploit" in a press release. Foolish Activision guy.

  • John_of_Fire

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:29 am PT

    Now don't forget that this is a way for companies to recoup on the used game market. If you buy a used game you have given no money to the developer or the publisher but if you buy a download the money goes to the company that created it. Now with these downloads companies like Activision can make money off of gamers who buy used.

  • ryanspetz

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:29 am PT

    unfortunately, the $10 map pack made more money than the $5 dollar map pack. This means the sweet spot is higher than most of us would want. Still, a target price of $8-$10 for a good map pack seems pretty good to me. Just no more $15 crap!!!

  • balindos

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:18 am PT

    Now they should drop the price of games that take advantage of giving downloads like this. Online market place + in game Ads = 40 dollars games.

  • redgamer63

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 10:00 am PT

    sweet

  • thekey

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 9:28 am PT

    Dang thats alot of down loads!

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 9:05 am PT

    "a critical first step in exploiting the online revenue potential "

    I love being exploited

  • goat2001

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 7:41 am PT

    I'm glad Activision has made some money off of their maps. However I really hope developers do not withhold content in order to sell it later on.

  • vaejas

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 6:59 am PT

    'Sploits!!?!
    No. Commerce.

    You have the power of choice. Your entertainment hours are not being held for ransom. There's a world of options out there. Yes, even offline.

  • ArmoredAshes

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 6:39 am PT

    Kissfreak107 this is not system wars so there is no need to go completely off topic from the article. I congratulate activision on the 1 million,but on the same thought its kinda bad because alot of developers are gonna hold content for downloading at high prices

  • kissfreak107

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 5:49 am PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • marcosa73

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 5:41 am PT

    you whiners, stop crying, nobody is forcing you to buy these extra maps and stuff, and for your information the gaming industry has ALWAYS been about making money. If it wasn't then we wouldn't have a SNES or a PS2 or an anything. Learn what words mean kids, todays lesson....

    ex·ploit·ed, ex·ploit·ing, ex·ploits (k-sploit, ksploit)

    **To employ to the greatest possible advantage**

    **To advertise; promote.**

  • Karjah

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 5:30 am PT

    Hold on theres adds in the xbox dashboard...
    please stop making me cringe...

    as if this summer wasn't bad enough for gaming news.

  • kittencrusher

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 4:12 am PT

    "During the quarter our Call of Duty maps generated approximately $1 million in revenue, a critical first step in exploiting the online revenue potential and extending the shelf life of our games," said Kotick."

    Wow. They even come right out and say they are exploiting. These knuckleheads need to leave the gaming industry alone.

  • 99X

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 4:05 am PT

    "a critical first step in exploiting the online revenue potential" - Activision CEO
    Thats exactly what it is, exploitation. It's rediculous to have to pay money for every little upgrade, especially for little things like gamer tag avatars and custom skins. This is a way to get even more money out of us. I really hate the way there are ads in the Xbox 360 dashboard. No one cares about games anymore, its all about the almighty dollar.

  • trae12

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 3:21 am PT

    I thought that you can earn acheivement points or pay. I thought it was a double standard to either pay or earn the map by achieving certain goals in a game. SOMEBODY ANSWER BACK!!! SEND A MESSAGE!!!!

  • soulknight63133

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 2:41 am PT

    Always trying to get something for nothing. Some of you really crack me up with that. You'll realize that life or the world for that matter doesn't work that way.

  • UnbredVermin-UK

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 1:07 am PT

    Don't mind buying new things, 4.25 - 8.00 is not going to get you bankrupt! Stop the hating comments, good news for activision! This meens a pay rise for workers just because of downloadable maps!!

  • Corvin

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:17 am PT

    Ahh I love the use of the word "exploiting"... exploiting... exploiting... which in certain terms is exactly what has been done to the marketplace populace.

  • superbrett2000

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:17 am PT

    This is HORRIBLE news. This means that companies have more incentive now to ban modders
    ------

    That was my first thought. I already passed on a 360 because you couldnt mod Oblivion on it. Looks like my PC may be seeing a huge increase in game purchases for it in the future... Sony seems to be cool with modding, so hopefully the PS3 can step up and support more community mods.

  • Sociologist

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 12:12 am PT

    Flash your 360.

  • schu

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:56 pm PT

    i actually dont mind paying for extra content, but that means that i want it to be of the utmost quality ..not just run of the mill free crap that i have to pay for

  • Karjah

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:51 pm PT

    wow another reason to hate microsoft.

    I'm sorry but Online play and extra maps should be free..

    It's not like they won't help sell more games.

    Way to leach.

  • yifes

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:37 pm PT

    This is HORRIBLE news. This means that companies have more incentive now to ban modders. What if modding was illegal and we all had to buy official map packs and add ons? I hope the XBOX doesn't ruin PC gaming

  • Death_Masta187

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:27 pm PT

    Woot go PC and getting them for FREE! thats the way it should be also.

  • DatLuckyPlaya

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:14 pm PT

    I say when they hit a million they should make all those maps free lol

  • StolenVex

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:11 pm PT

    I agree with Link. If the content in a game is sub par, and they milk the "content downloads" to "complete" it... yes, thats fishy. Seriously though, I enjoy the downloads available to me currently. I do not complain about horse armor and the lot because honestly I check out what I'm buying before I buy it. I do not need any retarded armor, so I didn't buy it. I like the game without the extras like that, but ya know, the little mini dungeons and lairs and things are kinda cool. I'm happy to get those, get maps for COD2... hell I even bought some of those buddy icon image packs because I liked what they included. My friend goes freakin CRAZY about title screen backgrounds for his dashboard. I love XBLive Arcade. He downloads every demo out, and I think he's onto his second HDD already.

    So to each his own. I'm never going to buy something I don't want, and if I'm disappointed thats my own fault. If you guys don't like where the industry is going, well, I'm glad you're saying something... Just don't down us for taking advantage of whats available to us. I've worked in programming before and I understand that sometimes because of deadlines you can't get some small things into a program that you wanted in there. If there were no content downloads, I could expect the games might be a little different, but give it say... two more years. If they're still coming out with content updates for important hit titles like COD2, GRAW, Elder Scrolls IV, Project Gotham, [even Kameo for the family], etc.... then I'd say they've been putting it to good use, because no company in their right mind is going to launch an incomplete product only to milk it for that long... word of mouth would ruin the game.

    -StolenVex

  • alangeorge

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:00 pm PT

    I've got all three map packs even though i mainly only play the original maps because i've got a better knowledge of the original maps because i've played them for longer than the newer maps.

  • F1sTDaCuffS

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 11:00 pm PT

    they sure talk about this game selling a lot.

    why does'nt ea release new maps dont they want some money for battlefield 2?

  • PuppetSlave

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 10:27 pm PT

    *Applause* I just got this game a few hours ago and I must say that it's my favorite at the moment. The online play is superb, and I think everyone should download the content, free or not.

  • Brauchlem

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 10:20 pm PT

    lmao why do people complain about this???? if you don't want it then, don't buy it...if you feel it's worth it, then buy it, as simple as that

  • Link

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 10:07 pm PT

    If you enjoyed the game and feel that an extra $5 dollars will give you 10 hours of fun, then you are spending $.50 an hour. If that seems expensive to you don't buy the maps.

    I won't be buying maps for COD since I've haven't even finished playing the single player campain (and I've had the game since late December). Why spend extra money for something that hasn't been that great?

    Besides, if there isn't enough content at launch or publishers start milking the system we the people (with help from our friends the reviewers and other enthusiasts) will just refuse to buy the title in the first place.

  • anthony_basic

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 10:07 pm PT

    for the naysayers, get a job. Xbox 360 is for the rich obviously. You guys are sorry. lOLOLOl

  • gamer_10001

    Posted Aug 3, 2006 10:01 pm PT

    My money wasn't part of that million

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